Slumdog Millionaire

This is flat-out one of the best movies I've ever seen. I know that's a strong statement, and it doesn't necessarily fit in with my all-time favorites (Memento, Pulp Fiction, Adaptation for example), but this is just a fantastic film.

I'm not ashamed to say I cried multiple times, it was that touching - and I'm a sucker for stories of kids in poverty and for True Love stuff. 

It follows the story of a kid from the slums of Mumbai, India (the recent site of terrorist attacks) who wins on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, and is subsequently arrested and tortured for suspicion of cheating. It sounds gimmicky and lame and I initially had reservations because of it, but it really isn't those things. The story flashes back as he tells detectives how he knew the answers, each telling a part of his life, from living in the slums to how he survived without his parents, etc. 

It exposes the conditions of slums, not only in India, but around the world. Ever since I read the book Child of the Dark by Carolina Maria de Jesus, which traces her life in the slums of Brazil, in grad school it's been a subject that is fascinating to me. In addition, the plight of orphans in the developing world, from the living conditions to their virtual enslavement to make a few pennies, is highlighted in this film, sometimes in humorous and inspiring ways, but most often as the horrendous reality that these kinds of kids actually live in.

Without getting too long and involved: go see this movie. It might win Oscars, it might not - but it is inspiring, humbling, and just freaking good.